At the end of 2005 I was no longer an employee of the Symantec (formerly Veritas) corporation. There are a few regrets about this situation as is natural when you are 'helped' to make such a career decision. Over the past year (2006) I have come to find one of the things I missed most were the people I worked with. Most of them were conservatively slanted, which made for contentious times discussing politics in the breakroom. Sure we'd go back and forth in manners that reflect the politics and mannerisims of this board. Maybe that's why 2006 was such an active year for me here. I was expressing here that I was missing my friends at my last job and my times discussing politics with them.

One of these people was Jim Jenkins. Jim was an Evangelical (born again) Christian. While I was diameterically opposed to a LOT of the things Jim stood for (not the least of which being his conservative social standards) We agreed to disagree. While we slagged it out and MAYBE just short of hated eachother in the breakroom we were absolute professionals to eachother on the work floor. I could count on him for help with solutions and he could count on me to come up with reasonable questions as good workers should.

So today I was at work readng the local news when a story caught my eye about a James Jenkins who was killed instantly in a car crash that was reported to be related to drag racing on the very street we had to use to get to work.

While I know for a fact he was into street racing, I also knew he had a girlfriend he was very enamored with and was supposed to have married her in the course of this year. I know his conservative values and the fact he was heading to work make this event that much more mind boggling. My suspicion is that the missing driver cut him off at a previous intersection and Jim was trying to let them know his displeasure. I'm guessing they got scarred by the performance of his modified car and tried to cut him off resulting in the accident, but the thought of straight up street racing has me with a firm case of denial.

I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm not looking for understnding. I would like the person responsible to step up and tell their side of the story. I'd like to know for as close to a fact as possible that my friend who I thought was smarter then most didn't die of foolishness.

My sympathies to his family, and the customers who are going to suffer for not being able to access his incredible knowledge and talent.

Sorry to hear of this tragic loss. It's painful, confusing, and seemingly avoidable.

Those who claim the Christian faith are certainly not free of flaws or immune from making poor decisions. All us need forgiveness on an ongoing basis, regardless of faith. If he made a fatal mistake, I hope everyone can a way to do forgive him.

1. Street racing is dangerous as hell. I admit that I used to do it a tad when i was younger but fortunately nothing bad happened and I never do it anymore. So I will tell you my thoughts on what he did. When a person steps into a car and has the notion to race all your feelings for what what could happen to you (cops, death, tickets, damage car etc) go out of the door. Even a 35 year old guy can be well off have a good life but do the dumbest things and feel cold hearted right before a race. I dont really want to talk about the things that Ive done but I can tell you that you feel numb and nothing else matters but beating the guy next to you.

2. Why was he street racing in a Dodge Neon? (Perhaps it was a Dodge SRT4?)

3. This guy was pretty old for street racing (assuming he was around your age) Unusual..

4. Sorry to see your friend go. I actually know Lake Mary pretty good so I can relate to the area.

5. I think that most people on here know that I prefer fast cars with alot of power. The thing that most people do not realize because they drive a Camry, Van, SUV, Taurus whatever is that when you drive a muscle car or some high powered car like a Supra, SRT4, 350Z is that you by the unspoken rule dont backdown once you rev up and you exchange looks. At the next red light some asshole will be enticing you to race him, and because we are humans we naturally want to compete and be better. By giving these signs you gave the unspoken go-ahead. So why do I bring this up? If youre friend didnt feel like racing that day going to work he wouldnt have . It is often that I stopped in my car next to a SVT Cobra or Supra or whatever not and both myself and the other driver knew we werent going to race for whatever our reasons were and it was perfectly understandable.

I am shocked (well, I guess I shouldn't be) that the news outfit would air such identifiable footage of the wrecked car before the next of kin had been notified (they said on air that the authorities were still locating the kin and that the body was still in the vehicle!) I would not want to be drinking coffee and find out that my family member had been killed.

Ted, I know how you feel. When I was in Daytona, I lost a friend to a drunk driver. My friend was in the passenger seat, the driver of the same car was drunk, went around a sharp left curve in the road at too high of a speed, slid sidways and the pax door impacted a palm tree killing my friend. Of the 4 people in the car, he was the only fatality.

Quoting LOT767-300ER (Reply 2):3. This guy was pretty old for street racing (assuming he was around your age) Unusual..

Certainly not typical, but we have a good guy here at work (whom Ted has actually met) who is about the same age (early 40s) who is into drag racing (though he races on a closed track). Though I wouldn't expect him do do something as foolish as street racing.

First, sincere condolences on the loss of your friend. It's often interesting how the differences between two people can often make us into better friends through the respect you develop for the other's p.o.v. I'm a fiscal conservative, social liberal. My best friend is a card-carrying socialist. I'd do anything for him. There you go. Too bad nations can't act the same way.

Quoting TedTAce (Thread starter):So today I was at work readng the local news when a story caught my eye about a James Jenkins who was killed instantly in a car crash that was reported to be related to drag racing on the very street we had to use to get to work.

I don't know about your jurisdiction but in Canada street-racing is a felony, whether or not anyone gets hurt. Serious time. If it had happened here and he'd lived, he'd be in jail.

Quoting TedTAce (Thread starter):I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm not looking for understnding. I would like the person responsible to step up and tell their side of the story. I'd like to know for as close to a fact as possible that my friend who I thought was smarter then most didn't die of foolishness.

Unless remorse propels him forward, the police will have to find him. And it's probably not top of the list in terms of priorities.

It may sound callous, but it's not intended to be: perhaps better for the g.f. to lose him now rather than after the wedding and possible family.

Thanks for calling his actions "street racing", as a professional drag racer for over 40 years we hate to hear "drag racer kills" from the news media. The local drag-strips have many programs to get kids off the streets, however we find that there are groups that like the "outlaw street race" action.
Drag racing is in a straight line for 1320 feet, not on a curving street or freeways for miles. Stop light racers have also killed people, while it is technically drag racing, we try to inform the news media that street racing is the correct term.
Sorry for your lost of a co-worker, but my cold heart says "at least he didn't kill anyone else,and he won't street race again".

I was traveling down I-24 just yesterday when I witnessed probably some of the worst aggressive driving I've seen in years. It was a single car, an older Toyota, changing 5 lanes from left to right, using the right shoulder to pass me, then 5 lanes back, right to left, in the heat of rush-hour. I was seriously thinking there was going to be a huge wreck fast. I hope someone caught him.
I also found it interesting, that when I went to click on the link to the story, if you scrolled down just a bit, the news channel's website under LINKS WE LIKE had a story entitled "How To Talk Your Way Out Of A Ticket."
Kind of ironic.

Quoting TedTAce (Thread starter):I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm not looking for understnding. I would like the person responsible to step up and tell their side of the story. I'd like to know for as close to a fact as possible that my friend who I thought was smarter then most didn't die of foolishness.

You have my deepest sympathy. May the God who he loved look after him and all those who morn him. I think that street racing is a terrible thing and unfortunately it seems to be catching on in a lot of countries. If you want to race go to the track and save lives. We have just passed a street racing law in Canada with very stiff penalties, I hope that it works as it will save lives

Quoting 767Lover (Reply 3):I am shocked (well, I guess I shouldn't be) that the news outfit would air such identifiable footage of the wrecked car before the next of kin had been notified (they said on air that the authorities were still locating the kin and that the body was still in the vehicle!) I would not want to be drinking coffee and find out that my family member had been killed.

In some cases this makes it easier to notify them.

if assumptions could fly, airliners.net would be the world's busiest airport

Quoting LOT767-300ER (Reply 2):is that when you drive a muscle car or some high powered car like a Supra, SRT4, 350Z is that you by the unspoken rule dont backdown once you rev up and you exchange looks. At the next red light some asshole will be enticing you to race him, and because we are humans we naturally want to compete and be better.

Then don't rev up and exchange looks...
Street racing is for idiots no matter what their faith or values are.
Short lived idiots at that.

I went by the site today, and tried to piece it together for myself. Unfortunately there was nothing to explain the fact he came off the cement 'sideways' (about 2-5 degrees askew). There are no skidmarks on the cement leading to the grass that is still mangled from yesterdays events. I could tell the impact was VERY violent, and the end was very quick, but that is about all.

The other thing that was distressing was that he crashed about 150' from where he would have turned to go to work. I guess that at that speed he would have been braking when things started to go bad, but It doesn't appear a mechanical failure related to the braking action caused him to get loose.

Maybe the airbag will provide some insight, maybe the turd who left will come forward. Maybe I'll win the lottery.

Quoting StealthZ (Reply 11):Then don't rev up and exchange looks...
Street racing is for idiots no matter what their faith or values are.
Short lived idiots at that.

Depends where you are, if you have a nice car in Poland and look young and you dont race, people will just stop at the next light and beat the shit out of you or steal your car in some parts of the city.